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On April 8, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Uyghuristan (East Turkestan), the ethnically Uyghur, Turkic-speaking, and Muslim region controlled by China. It was the first time in 27 years that a Turkish head of government visited Xinjiang, which was historically linked to Turkey via the Silk Road. Erdogan brought with him a delegation of key officials and about 300 business leaders. While in Urumqi, the Turkish leader stated his desire to invest in a nascent industrial development zone in Uyghuristan.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Chinese political and economic liberalization program, as well as the collapse of the Soviet Union, facilitated the gradual reemergence of traditional religious, cultural, intellectual, social, and economic linkages between Uyghuristan and its Central Asian and Turkic neighbors. Beijing increasingly welcomed trade and economic investment from neighboring republics, even as it demanded guarantees that they wouldn’t support an independent East Turkestan. At the same time, Ankara optimistically began to envision a Turkish sphere of influence from the “Adriatic Sea to the Chinese Wall.”

The wellspring of Turkish sympathy toward the Uyghur people has resulted in a complicated relationship between Turkey and China. During the Uyghur riots in 2009, Erdogan referred to the events as “genocide”and urged Beijing to “address the question of human rights and do what is necessary to prosecute the guilty.”The Chinese lashed out at his remarks in a China Daily editorial. Arguing that many of the victims of violence were Han Chinese, Beijing exhorted the prime minister to retract his “irresponsible and groundless”comments, which were tantamount to “interference in China’s internal affairs.”

The recent thawing of bilateral relations and Erdogan’s visit to Uyghuristan thus surprised many observers. China human rights expert Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a professor of political science at Hong Kong Baptist University, noted that “it is very difficult for Turkish diplomats to go there.”He believes, therefore, that it “shows that in the Sino-Turkish relationship, Turkey is not in a weak position, and is even in a strong position,”particularly because China requires Turkish support for its Middle Eastern agenda.

The People’s Dailypainted the visit in rosy terms, highlighting a high-level visit between Erdogan and Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping in Beijing on April 10. The future Chinese president stated that “To respect and support each other on issues regarding core concerns is not only a manifestation of political trust between China and Turkey, but also the foundation for healthy growth of our strategic cooperative ties.”Erdogan reportedly told the vice president that he wouldn’t allow his people to engage in anti-China secessionist activity. Beijing has also pried such promises from the mouths of Indian leaders in reference to the Tibet issue, although some argue that the Indian government has generally maintained a liberal interpretation of what constitutes “anti-Chinese activities.”

It appears unlikely that the high-level Turkish visit will have any impact upon the Chinese regime’s treatment of its Uyghur population. Press freedom has also dropped precipitously. Reporters Without Borders has downgraded Turkey’s ranking to 148th out of 179 countries. Instead, the visit is more a sign of increased Turkish-Chinese security and economic cooperation. The two sides reached energy cooperation and technology transfer agreements, and discussed how to deal with the ongoing crisis in Syria.

Thus, even as the Turkish people continue to strengthen traditional ties with the Uyghurs, the relationship is unlikely to trump the momentum toward enhanced bilateral cooperation between Ankara and Beijing.

Julia Famularo is a research affiliate at the Project 2049 Institute and a doctoral candidate in modern East Asian political history at Georgetown University.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is halfway through a historic visit to China, the first by a Turkish head of government in 27 years.
Erdogan’s first stop Sunday on his four-day-long visit was to Urumqi, the capital of Uyghuristan province that borders numerous Central Asian states.
No Turkish PM has ever visited Uyghuristan, although Turkey has a strong connection to Central Asia’s numerous Turkic ethnic groups.Uyghuristan In The Spotlight

Uyghuristan is an ethnically diverse and resource-rich region, a place long associated with trans-Eurasian trade. It was traverse by bthe ancient Silk Road, and it is home to the Uyghurs, a Turkic-speaking, Muslim ethnic group.
China has pushed hard over recent years to transform urban centers in Uyghuristan, particularly the cities of Urumqi and Kashgar, into economic hubs, hoping to develop trade with Central Asia’s Turkic-speaking nations as well as countries in South Asia.Uyghuristan is also increasingly becoming host to many of China’s national-level infrastructure and industrial development projects, largely related to energy development and transport.
In recent years, tensions between Uyghurs and China’s dominant Han ethnic group, with different languages, religions, and customs, has resulted in turbulence amid surging regional economic growth. China blames separatist groups and what it calls terrorists and political enemies abroad for inciting violence and disturbances against the government.
The current trip is a sign of Turkey’s increasing interest in advancing economic opportunities with China.
Erdogan arrived with a massive 300-member business delegation, and expressed hopes of investing into a new industrial development zone in Uyghuristan.
Turkey is pushing China to increase investment in the country and cooperation in the automotive, banking, and telecommunications sectors.
Trade between the two countries is estimated to reach $100 billion by 2020.Political Difficulties

In the past, Erdogan enticed resentment from Beijing through his publicized comments on ethnic strife and unrest in China’s west.
Responding to deadly Han-Uyghur ethnic unrest in 2009, the Turkish PM equated it to “genocide.”
Turkey’s Industry Minister also created controversy in 2009 by calling for a boycott of Chinese goods because of the unrest.
Although Erdogan’s arrival in China is a demonstration of warming relations and new interest, the two countries still have a number of political frictions.At Odds Over Syria

While China continues to back Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in the U.N. Security Council, Turkey has voiced opposition and warnings to its neighbor Syria for its military actions against rebel groups.
The Turkish PM arrived in Beijing on Monday, meeting with Chinese leaders and Premier Wen Jiabao.
Western media has speculated that the leadership of the two countries will be discussing the continued uprising in Syria behind closed doors, but there was no indication in public of either agreement or disagreement on the issue from Chinese and Turkish leaders.
Erdogan will visit Shanghai, China’s financial and banking hub, after the capital, and will deliver a speech at the prestigious Shanghai International Studies University.
Wen stated to reporters on Monday that “continuing to strengthen Sino-Turkish friendship and cooperation is a common hope” and told his Turkish counterpart that “I am confident your visit will be a further step in increasing understanding and trust between both sides, and for injecting new energy into our bilateral relations.

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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Uyghuristan and China on Saturday for a four-day official visit, the first prime ministerial visit in 27 years.

The two countries are expected to sign several agreements, including those on nuclear energy and coal. The nuclear energy agreements are anticipated to be about cooperation in the field of nuclear energy and its use for peaceful purposes.

Erdogan is accompanied by a large delegation of businessmen, ministers, bureaucrats, academics and journalists.

During his visit, Erdogan is scheduled to meet with Uyghuristan President Nur Bekiri and Chinese President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and Vice President Xi Jinping, who is expected to be the next president.

Erdogan started his visit to China in the Uyghuristan Autonomous Region and he is the first Turkish prime minister to visit its capital, Urumchi. He is expected to visit the Turkish industrial zone, a particular area devoted by Urumchi to improve trade relations between Turkey and Uyghuristan. While still in the city, Erdogan will also meet with Nur Bekri, the President of the Uyghuristan autonomous region.

After visiting Uyghuristan, Erdogan will proceed to Beijing, where he will take part in high-level meetings with China’s president, premier and vice president. Shanghai, regarded as China’s economic capital, will be Erdogan’s last stop in the country, where he is expected to call on Chinese businessmen to invest in Turkey.

It is believed that the talks between Erdogan and his counterparts will include all aspects of bilateral relations, opportunities for cooperation in many areas and the regional and international issues that concern both countries.